MDC Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa yesterday said his
party is planning to plunge the country into an orgy of violence as it has
abandoned its calls for dialogue.
Mr Chamisa lost to President Mnangagwa in the 2018
elections and his court challenge seeking to nullify the outcome of the polls
hit a brick wall.
President Mnangagwa has extended an olive branch to Mr
Chamisa to join other parties for dialogue under the Political Actors Dialogue
(POLAD), a gesture which the MDC Alliance leader has repeatedly rejected. He
has instead demanded talks outside POLAD.
Mr Chamisa made the declaration during a press conference
at the MDC Alliance headquarters in Harare yesterday after a tour of the
party’s provincial structures across the country. The party started its first
illegal demo in Harare yesterday.
In the meetings where the media was barred, Mr Chamisa
reportedly told members that they would engage in spontaneous violent
demonstrations and this time would not notify the police of their intentions as
required by the law.
In Bulawayo in particular, Mr Chamisa last week reportedly
said the police would not restrain “millions” of people when they take to the
streets while his deputy Professor Welshman Ncube lamented that the MDC-
Alliance’s support base in Bulawayo had shrunk in the 2018 elections.
After the elections, Zanu-PF has won the majority of seats
in by-elections, a development which the ruling party says confirms its
dominance in the country’s political landscape.
“Now we are drawing the line in the sand, even in the party
I have told them, we will not continue on this path of talking about dialogue,
we must be able to resolve this issue once and for all and you will see more of
the people taking to the streets, you will see more people acting now more than
ever before,” said Mr Chamisa yesterday.
He said his party is ignoring advice to prepare for the
2023 elections but was going for a “radical” and “disruptive” approach.
“We are going to do a raft of activities and you will see
them across in communities throughout the country. The people know the task
ahead and they know that the task is not easy, they are determined to rescue
their country, people are ready to fight, they are ready for a big fight, they
are ready to defend their rights, they’re ready for actions that are going to
give them freedom.
“Ultimately the people have the right to protest, all we
have to do is to provide the oxygen to the demand of that protest and that
oxygen we will provide to those who are willing to participate, we will make
sure we provide leadership and that will be provided,” said Mr Chamisa.
Last January, MDC-Alliance and its partner organisations
instigated violent demonstrations across the country which saw massive
destruction of property. Bulawayo was the worst affected as many businesses
were looted and owners robbed of a source of income. A police officer was also
killed by the violent demonstrators.
The Government came to the rescue of the affected
businesses by launching the $30 million emergency relief loan fund to assist
businesses and shop owners whose outlets were destroyed and looted during the
violent protests. Herald
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